U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte says he was 'probably the most hated person in the world' after Rio. (Michael Sohn/AP)

Swimmer Ryan Lochte had suicidal thoughts after his fabrication of an incident at the Rio Olympics last summer made him the center of controversy.

The 12-time Olympic medalist originally claimed he and three other swimmers were pulled over in a cab and robbed at gunpoint, but local authorities hit back against those claims and Lochte later said he "over-exaggerated" the story. Armed officials wanted the swimmers to pay for damages caused at a gas station before they were free to leave.

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"After Rio, I was probably the most hated person in the world," Lochte told ESPN. "There were a couple of points where I was crying, thinking, 'If I go to bed and never wake up, fine.'"

Lochte was then asked in the ESPN piece if that meant he considered suicide, and the author wrote Lochte nodded. "I was about to hang up my entire life."

The six-time Olympic gold winner was suspended for 10 months by the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Swimming, which includes next month's world championships.

Front page of the New York Daily News for August 19, 2016. (New York Daily News)

Lochte said "Oh, we were, yeah," when asked if he and the other three swimmers were "completely hammered."

"Everything happens for a reason," he later says to ESPN. "Look, I was done with swimming back in 2013. I was drained, wiped out. Now I've found a new purpose with my son. This fire has been ignited, and it's bigger than ever, and I'm just so excited because I know what's going to happen in Tokyo (in 2020.) Everyone is going to have to watch out!"